WI Dairy Industry Television Special

Click on the picture to take you to the link of the video on the WI dairy industry!

Wisconsin's Dairy Farms Special

Be sure to watch our special on Wisconsin dairy farms this Friday on WKOW 27.  Click on the picture above for a preview!

Cottage Grove Animal Nutrition Distribution Center

Our new Distribution Center at our Cottage Grove Animal Nutrition site is progressing nicely!

Fall 2013 Landscapes Magazine

Microessentials Promotion

Congratulations to Punky Skaar for winning FREE soil sampling from Landmark and Mosaic through our Microessentials promotion!  He's pictured here with Landmark Agronomist Adam VandenPlas!

2014 Tried and True Seed Guide

 

Click on the Seed Guide cover to view the 2014 Seed Guide!

Landmark Services Cooperative launches YieldEDGE Viewer

New tool helps producers monitor crop yield, management and weather trends by field.

Cottage Grove, Wis. [November 7, 2013] – Landmark Services Cooperative introduces the YieldEDGE Viewer, a new management tool for crop growers to monitor trends by field.

YieldEDGE Viewer is a web-based program that allows crop growers who are Landmark members access to the cooperative’s data on the owner’s fields in real-time, at any time. The program is free to all Landmark members.

After logging into the system with a username and password, YieldEDGE Viewer shows the grower all of the data that Landmark has compiled about their operation, based on each field’s set boundary. This information can include: yield maps, fertilizer rates applied each year, soil test data, multi-year yield analysis, seed varieties planted, historical prescriptions by field and historical weather trends on the farm’s acreage.

Gary Myers, YieldEDGE Precision Ag Manager for Landmark, says growers are already benefiting from the recently launched program as they’re noticing trends and then making changes based on real-time information.

“This program allows us to digitize farms and fields and make educated decisions based on the yields and performance of fields in the past,” Myers says. “After a grower decides to become involved with YieldEDGE Viewer, we create their field boundaries by either digitizing them or through the use of geo-referenced information. Once those are set, we can begin to collect data and/or enter the grower’s past information according to that field.”

Producers can then log-in to the YieldEDGE Viewer and access their information whenever needed. Myers says that evaluation of the data can help growers gain the edge over previous growing years.

“We can begin to detect trends when all of the data is in one place,” he says. “At harvest, we can look at the yield, the fertilizer applied, weather conditions that year and several other factors and determine ways to improve the yield the next year. Analyzing the data right away and comparing to other growing seasons can help our members make more informed decisions.”

Weather patterns, forecasts and trends are also shown through the YieldEDGE Viewer. Myers says that recognizing weather according to acreage can help with adjustments in irrigation levels, monitoring time according to growing degree days and fertilizer rates.

Growers can also share data that they have collected themselves with the Landmark team to be added into their specific YieldEDGE Viewer account. All information is proprietary to the Landmark grower, is only accessible by the individual grower and used only for decision-making on that operation.

“The YieldEDGE Viewer opens a new avenue to collect and share data with our growers – with data at the growers’ fingertips whenever they need it,” Myers says. “We’re excited to work with growers and add their data into the system. The more data we can put in together, the more analytics we will have to help make better management decisions.”

Growers interested in the YieldEDGE Viewer are encouraged to contact their Landmark agronomist for a demonstration. The agronomist can then set up the grower with a username and password to access the YieldEDGE Viewer site.

For additional information on YieldEDGE Viewer, visit www.landmark.coop or contact Gary Myers at (608)819-3158 or Gary.Myers@landmark.coop This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Slip Form Pouring Video at Fall River Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator

This structure went from 0 to 135ft. in just over 5 days!

Fall River Completed Slip Form

Slip Form Pouring is complete at our Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator in Fall River!  This structure went from 0 to 135 ft. in just over five days!

Fall River Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator Slip Form Pouring

Slip form pouring has started at our Fall River Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator! The crews are working around the clock to pour these slips--at a rate of 13" of concrete/hour!

 

Fall River Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator

Crews are hard at work on our Fall River Shuttle Loading Grain Elevator!

Harvest Safety

Dirty Details on Fall Fertilizer

Not only does this time of year signify pumpkins, leaves changing colors and corn mazes, but it also provides many with a great feeling to be harvesting corn and soybeans.  As harvest 2013 is now underway, the combining of soybeans has been a great surprise to growers with higher than expected yields, especially considering that August rains seal the deal for making soybean yields, and that was hard to come by this year.  The higher bushels that are being harvested is a reminder that good agronomic practices still help deliver bushels to the elevator. 

The soil borer that pulls soil samples.

Likewise, corn is having the same success with great yields, however, the wet season that we had in June is showing up in poor stalk quality.  Corn rot has been a major issue that we are now seeing.  It is a fungus that attacks the corn plant at a very early stages and give you a rusty look in the corn roots.  So what does this mean as you cross the fields?  Well, the variability of the fields is more evident and so is the yield in these areas. 

 

Knowing that you have a varied yield across the field also means that your fertility has changed.  The first step in understanding what is going on at the farm is by doing a soil sample.  With today’s high cost of inputs, it is essential to make every dollar count.  There is so much more risk involved with inputs, that the more information you have from soil sampling, the better decision you will be able to make for your operation.  This is especially important, as fertilizer can result in up to 60% of a crops yield. 

 

Soil sampling equipment

Soil sampling is a simple and easy program that we offer, where fields are sampled at an intensity of 2.5 acres per sample.  Additionally, at Landmark we have new computer software that we use today which helps you as a grower to determine which area of your fields needs additional nutrients.  

Soil sampling computer

This technology can be done as soon as the combine leave the field.  That timing is best to pull the soil sample, primarily because we get the best information from the soil profile that hasn’t been disturbed by tillage.  We can get these results in about two weeks and your Landmark agronomist can make good recommendations based on current field and yield information.  Products such as MicroEssentials are often times the key needed to be added to fields, based on what the soils sample results tell us. 

 

So, what’s better than having your soil sampled to customize a plan for your fields, which will result in higher yields?  Well, that’s easy—FREE soil sampling!  Simply be one of the first 50 people to contact Scott Smith (608.819.3210) for information on MicroEssentials fertilizer, and how it can help your yields and you will be entered into a drawing to receive FREE soil sampling.



Joe Speich is an agronomist and location manager at Landmark's Evansville location.  He has been involved in the agriculture industry for 17 years.  Joe is a Certified Crop Advisor and has spent time working with the Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) reviewing nutrient managment plans.  He is also very actively involved with his family farm and enjoys spending time with his two children. 

 

 

 

Propane Pick-Up

I’ve never claimed to be an expert when dealing with cars, or anything mechanical, for that matter.  However, I’d like to think I have a basic understanding of the general overview of a vehicle--i.e. how to check my tire pressure, how to check my oil level, and that vehicles run on gasoline or diesel fuel.  Well, come to find out, I couldn’t be more wrong about that third point—not all vehicles run on gasoline or diesel fuel.  As a matter of fact, a vehicle in my very parking lot at the office isn’t powered by either source, but rather propane, yes, PROPANE…the same thing that heats homes, fuels gas grills and even keeps swimming pools warm. 

While parking my vehicle at work, day after day I was curious to know whose vehicle I saw with a small propane tank in the bed of its truck.  Well, a few days went by and I finally figured out that Charlie Hallquist was the driver of this “propane pick-up.”  Of course this new technology intrigued me and I just had to sit down with Charlie to learn more.

 

The bed of Charlie's truck houses a 50 gallon propane tank.

When I met with Charlie I didn’t even know where to begin—I had so many questions to ask him, as this whole idea was completely new to me!  But, as it turns out, propane fueled vehicles aren’t a new thing at all.  In fact, some 35 years ago Charlie worked for a company that had propane fueled school buses. 

Fast forward to today and now Charlie is driving a pick-up truck fueled by propane.  In June of this year he made the trip to Indiana to have his truck converted to handle propane as the primary fuel source of his vehicle.  Since that time Charlie has been reaping the benefits of his “propane pick-up.”

 

There's not much difference under the hood of Charlie's truck since the conversion.

Perhaps the biggest benefit Charlie is seeing is his reduction in fuel costs.  With current prices on gasoline verses propane, propane is approximately $1.60/gallon less expensive than gasoline.  While there is a slight reduction in efficiency while using propane, Charlie will still see an ROI on his investment in less than three years, based on the miles he drives each year and the cost of the conversion system. 

In addition to the much less expensive fuel costs there are many other benefits that Charlie will receive.  A few of which include:

·         Less carbon emissions

·         Oil changes will last twice as long, as propane doesn’t contaminate oil like gasoline does

·         Government program rebate incentives

Furthermore, Charlie taught me that 78-80% of propane is a by-product of natural gas, which means it is becoming more domestic, thus not relying on foreign oils.  Additionally, the conversion technology in Charlie’s truck is liquid injected and runs on liquid propane, rather than vapor. 

 

One small button on the dash is the only changes to the inside of Charlie's truck.

Of course, in my discussion with Charlie I was curious to know if this propane conversion could be done on any vehicle.  Boy was I excited to know that this can be done on any vehicle, no matter the age, make or model of the vehicle—even lawn mowers can have this technology.  Diesel vehicles can also be converted to propane, however, their process is slightly different due to the diesel injection.  And yes, that’s right, even my little Chevy Malibu can be converted to run on propane.  Charlie also informed me that the current conversion system in his truck can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle, when it’s time for a new truck. 

Now, you may be wondering where Charlie fills up his truck with propane.  Well, that’s easy, Landmark, of course!  These new vehicles that are propane fueled can be filled straight from a propane truck, or any place that fills propane bottles, such as RV’s. 

 

Charlie stands by his "propane pick-up."

By the end of my conversation with Charlie I was sold on propane fueled vehicles, and I can’t wait to see where this new technology will go.  With the significant cost savings, in addition to other benefits this sure seems like a win-win to me. 



Kristi Olson is Landmark Services Cooperative's Communication and Events Coordinator. She has a love for agriculture, which started when she was young, growing up on her family's 2,000 acre grain and show pig farm and carried through to her education at UW-Platteville studying AgriBusiness and Animal Science, and now in her career at Landmark. Kristi has a strong passion for telling the "agriculture story" and promoting agriculture education. Kristi can be contacted at 608.819.3126 or kristi.olson@landmark.coop

Winners announced for First Annual Producers Forage Bowl

Midwest growers take home prizes for BMR corn silage, corn silage, haylage and small grains.

We are excited to announce the winners of the First Annual Producers Forage Bowl, held in conjunction with our Planting for Production Forage Producers Field Seminar last month in Stoughton, Wis. More than 100 forage samples were entered for analysis in the contest.

“The Producers Forage Bowl offered area growers the opportunity to have their forages analyzed  and learn tips for increased future yields,” says Cassandra Strommen, Vice President Marketing Development for Landmark Services Cooperative. “Growers were able to take the analysis results and judges’ comments back to their operations to incorporate into their plans for the next growing season.”

Samples in the Producer Forage Bowl were analyzed in the laboratory by Rock River Lab in Watertown, Wis. with scoring criteria comprised of the lab analysis coupled with judges’ points awarded for look, feel and smell. Judges praised producers for the quality and consistency of the entries, citing resilience after the drought of last year’s growing season. 

Top entries in each category are as follows:

BMR Corn Silage: 1. Statz Brothers Dairy, Sun Prairie, Wis.; 2. Crave Brothers Dairy, Waterloo, Wis.; 3. Vince Anderson II, Whitewater, Wis.

Congratulations to Statz Brothers Dairy for winning 1st place in the BMR Corn Silage category!

Corn Silage: 1. Koehl Farms, Darien, Wis.; 2. Huebner Dairy Farm, Columbus, Wis.; 3. Kutz Dairy, LLC, Jefferson, Wis.

Congratulations to Koehl Farms for winning the Corn Silage category of the Forage Bowl!

Haylage: 1. Junction View, Richland Center, Wis.; 2. JC Kow Farms, LLC., Whitewater, Wis.; 3. Chris Davis, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

 

Congratulations to Junction View Dairy for winning the haylage category!

Small Grain: 1. Davis Farms, LLC, Sharon, Wis.; 2. Bill and Randall Anderson; 3. Reedale Farm, Milton, Wis.

Congratulations to Davis Farms, LLC for winning the small grains category!

The contest was free to enter and all participants received the laboratory analysis results of their entered samples. Winners in each of the four categories also received a logo’d jacket with the top three entries in each category receiving product from, Croplan, Landmark Forage Solutions and YieldEDGE.

The Producer Forage Bowl was sponsored by Landmark Services Cooperative, Mycogen Seeds and Rock River Labs.

Landmark and the UW Badgers team up to Celebrate Agriculture!

Landmark was so glad to be a part of the UW-Badgers "Celebrate Ag" day last week at the game!  We are proud to be a part of an industry that feeds the world!

Landmark Services Cooperative names Elder chief operating officer

Landmark Services Cooperative names Mike Elder as chief operating officer.
In this role, Elder will work closely with Landmark’s chief executive officer Bob Carlson to ensure that the cooperative stays true to its mission of providing rural and urban customers with the highest quality products and services. Elder will oversee all cooperative operations including safety, environmental health and the Landmark Logistics division.

"We are pleased to name Elder as chief operating officer," says Carlson. "His hands-on experience and commitment to the success of our members will help our cooperative continue to enhance our producers' profitability, exceed our customers’ expectations and keep our cooperative financially strong."

Elder joined the Landmark team in 2003 following the merger of Landmark Services Cooperative and Union Cooperative, serving as interim chief operating officer and vice president of health and safety for the cooperative. Most recently, Elder played an integral role in the planning process for Landmark’s state-of-the-art grain shuttle loading facility in Fall River, Wis., while overseeing health and safety procedures for Landmark’s 19 locations in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Elder holds a bachelor's degree in safety engineering from Kennedy-Western University in California and an associate’s degree in fire science from Madison Area Technical College. Prior to joining Landmark, Elder worked as a safety and regulatory consultant with numerous agricultural cooperatives.

Forage Producers Field Seminar

Be sure to stop by our social media station at next week's Forage Producers Field Seminar to get one of these t-shirts!

Drones: A new tool for field scouting at Landmark!

The period of time between planting and pollination is the most critical for crop success. During this time period growers have the opportunity to make changes to their cropping strategy based on plant conditions. Information gathered through field scouting is used to make these adjustments. To improve the information available to farmers, the Agronomy team at Landmark has added a new tool to their scouting program. A new tablet-controlled drone is now available to help detect problems and prevent them before they occur.

 

Landmark added the drone, a small forward-propelled helicopter with a built-in camera, to their toolbox at the beginning of the 2013 growing season. The agronomy team flies the drone above fields and is able to capture 360 degree aerial views to quickly detect any disease or nutrient deficiency issues in the crop.

 

Dan Moehn, vice president of Landmark Agronomy, says the tool provides a new and efficient viewpoint to the team’s field scouting program.

 

“Whenever you see a field from a different perspective, you’re able to pick up new information,” he says. “If you’re standing at the end of a corn field, you have one perspective but, when you get in the air, you can see a much larger view of the field and can quickly spot areas that need attention.”

Agronomists traditionally scout fields by walking the length of the acreage and looking for problems – a process that may allow for areas to be missed or additional time spent. Moehn estimates that the drone provides about a 60 percent time savings and a more complete view of the field.

 

The drone is controlled with a tablet. The agronomist lifts the tablet or tilts it down to direct the drone until it reaches a height between 75 and 100 feet. The agronomist then stops the drone and spins it 360 degrees to secure a full aerial view. At a height of 100 feet, the drone can capture nearly 20 acres. The drone captures footage in both video and photograph format and sends it to the tablet controller.

“We look at that footage and evaluate the field, looking for any problem spots,” Moehn says. “If we see an area of crop that has signs of a disease or nutrient deficiency, we can then walk to that area of the field and take a closer look.

“We’re looking for early symptoms of disease pressure, nutrient deficiency or injury from insects,” he explains. “Typically, dark green plants are the healthiest. If the plant is showing signs of yellowness, it may be suffering from a nutrient or disease issue that needs further investigation.”

The Landmark agronomists rely on their education and experiences to make recommended changes in fertilizer, pesticides or other field supplementation. The team also utilizes Landmark Agronomy’s tissue sampling program for additional answers. When a plant is in question, a piece of the leaf is collected and sent into a lab for analysis. The lab technicians can determine possible nutrient deficiencies or disease risk.

 

 

“We can get the results back quickly enough to make a change and promote a good yield,” Moehn says. “Now through pollination is the most critical time for plant development; if we find a problem, we can still make an effort to change things. When it gets later in the season, it becomes much less likely that you’ll be able to fix a problem.”

Moehn encourages growers to scout their fields at least weekly and to have an agronomist scout the field bi-weekly through pollination and monthly through harvest.

 

 

“The more scouting we can do, the more probable it is that we’ll see problems before they become bigger than they need to be,” Moehn says. “Preventing problems in the field is especially beneficial in a market where every bushel counts.”

 

Dan Moehn is Landmark's Senior Vice
President of Agronomy.  He can be
contacted at 608.819.3119 or
daniel.moehn@landmark.coop

 

The Facts on Forage

As summer is near, that means forage season is also in full swing! This season has already showed us many challenges, and your Landmark Agronomy and Animal Nutrition teams are here to help you with any issues that might arise. Here are some points to keep in mind for your forages:

• Headline on Alfalfa- your best results will come on high productivity stands.  I would also recommend that growers tissue sample their alfalfa to see if additional micros such as Boron, Calcium, Sulfur, etc. are needed.  We have seen great results using particularly those three nutrients with alfalfa growers.  I also recommend adding a plant growth regulator (such as Ascend) to optimize regrowth of the crop.  These foliar products can all be mixed with an insecticide and Headline.

• Summer Seedings- it's never too early (especially in a feed shortage year) to have a conversation about summer seeding alfalfa.  I would highly recommend Round-up Ready to producers.  This is a great technology to start and stay clean.  It is a very gentle chemical compared to other conventional herbicides, so you will not stunt and set back the stand.  This means fuller and healthier stands for your producer, in addition to more tonnage and the possibility of an extra cutting, in the right scenario!

• Fungicides on Corn Silage/High Moisture Corn- there are two opportunities to apply fungicides on corn.  One is the stage we are either in now, or will be entering over the next few weeks throughout Landmark's territory.  This stage is the vegetative stage 5-7 (V5-V7) and this application can easily be made while producers are in their fields spraying their planned herbicide passes.   Landmark has a great team of professional applicators to do spraying as well!  The second stage (the one I prefer, if aerial application can be done) is the tassel through brown silk stage (VT-R3).  This is done via aerial application of fungicide over the top of corn.  Landmark also partners with professional aerial applicators to be able to offer this service.

• Feed Supply- there are still options to help producers get high quality forages, despite the drought of 2012 and the slow spring of 2012.  One such option would be planting sorghum sudan grass, which could be planted and quite possibly harvested up to 2 1/2 times this year.  There are even Brown Mid Rib options that are herbicide tolerant!  I would highly recommend working together with your Landmark agronomist and animal nutritionist to come up with the best plan for each particular scenario. 

**Your Landmark team is here to help you effectively manage the crop you currently have planted to help reach the highest potential.  We have just the right team to do so by utilizing our tissue sampling and YieldEDGE programs!





Joe Slosarczyk is a Landmark Agronomist,

industry leading expert and Certified Crop Advisor.
He shares his knowledge and expertise in this blog.
Joe can be contacted at 608.669.0896
or joseph.slosarczyk@landmark.coop

The Value in an Automated Calf Feeding System and Milk Replacer Program

Landmark Services Cooperative Board of Directors member John Doerfer has experimented with several calf management strategies over the years. He grew up feeding calves in outdoor hutches, spent several years raising calves in a facility with individual calf stalls and then utilized a custom calf grower to manage his heifer calves.

After trying several calf raising options, this Verona, Wis., dairy producer has found an automated calf feeding system to provide the greatest efficiency and productivity. John credits team cooperation and planning – much like that of the Landmark team – to the current success of his dairy calves.

Today, John manages the 700-cow, 4,200-acre operation with his brother, Gary, and his father, Richard, along with Scott Dahlk, their herdsman for the past 11 years. Over the years, the team has looked for the most efficient way to raise calves. They found that hand-feeding the large amount of calves was labor intensive and missed being able to maintain their own productivity through custom calf raising.

After much research, the Doerfers opted to build a new calf facility in the summer of 2012. During the process, the producers looked to industry experts – including the Landmark team – for advice on equipment selection, ventilation options and calf nutrition programs.

John Binversie of Landmark Animal Nutrition was a key contact during the process.

“We purchase all of our proteins for the herd and calf grains through Landmark, so we talked with John [Binversie] about the feeds we’d be feeding and how they’d work with the system we had in mind,” John Doerfer says. “With calves being born every day, our calves are a big investment, so we made sure to have the right feeding program in place.”

The feeding advice from Landmark was put to use as the Doerfers began building their 60-by-156-foot new calf facility complete with automated calf feeders, ventilation tubes and adjustable curtains for adequate temperature control. Calves were added to the facility in July with a smooth transition to the new system.

 

“The system is working better than we could imagine,” Doerfer says, citing good growth rates and reduced labor required.

Today, newborn calves are fed colostrum within the first few hours of life and supplemented with Calf Guard and Inforce 3. Calves are then placed in individual Calf-Tel calf hutches for their first three days of life with heat lamps placed above the hutch if needed.

At day three, calves are moved into the group feeding system in groups of 25. Calves remain in these groups through their growing stage to prevent pecking issues.

The biggest advantage to the new system, Doerfer says, was the addition of two DairyFeed automated calf feeders from GEA Farm Technologies. With the automated calf feeders, calves enter one of four calf feeding stations where they consume milk replacer. A computer reads each calf’s individual RFID eartag to determine the amount of milk replacer the calf is allotted.

The system then heats water to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, mixes and dispenses milk replacer based on the calf’s individual needs. The system is set so levels of milk replacer are increased automatically for each calf over time.

 

 

Calves enter the feeding station up to five times each day until their individual allotment has been consumed. At the maximum feeding level, each calf consumes 2.5 gallons (or 9 liters) of milk replacer per day. By day 44, milk replacer levels begin to drop so a smooth weaning transition can occur at day 54.

After each calf consumes its feeding, water is circulated through the system to rinse out milk replacer and then it is fed to the calf. Doerfer notes that this water has prevented calves from suckling in the group.

Calf consumption levels and the speed that calves consume their milk replacer are recorded through a computer system in an adjacent room. The Doerfers and their team of employees monitor milk replacer levels and trends to determine growth rates and calf performance.

“All the calves feed steadily throughout the day, so it’s pretty obvious when a calf isn’t feeling well,” John says. “If the computer shows a calf is off milk, we are able to look for ways to solve the problem and get the calf back on track.”

So far, he says that scours and health issues have been minimal with the new system.

When it comes to milk versus milk replacer, the farm first considered feeding pasteurized milk from treated cows.

 

“We realized quickly that we didn’t have enough treated milk to feed all of the calves,” Doerfer says. “We’re in the business to sell milk, so the quality milk that we have is marketed. We went with a Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Products milk replacer program (Cow’s Match ColdFront and Cow’s Match WarmFront based on season) and the calves have really done well on it.”

Other than computer maintenance and adding milk replacer powder to the system twice daily, Doerfer says the automated calf feeding system is fairly self-sufficient.

“The feeder self-cleans three times per day and we change the nipples twice a day to sanitize them. Feeding calves this way is more management than manual labor and that’s worked well for us,” he says.

Ampli-Calf starter feed is fed to the calves twice per day to ensure that feed is always available, fresh straw is added every other day and the pens are cleaned weekly, allowing calf managers to observe calves for health issues.

 

 

“When compared to hand-feeding, this system requires about one-half to one-third the labor,” Doerfer estimates. “We’re really happy with the system. We’ve put about 300 calves through it since July and they’ve grown great and transitioned well through weaning.”

“Our goal has always been to double the calf’s weight from birth to weaning – and it required a lot more management to reach that goal before,” he adds. “Today, we’re more than doubling birth weights before 54 days of age and we’re able to track growth rates. We’re really happy with the system.”